"L'acrobat" wrote in message
...

"The CO" wrote in message
...

It is quite possible that they will not be aquired until about the
time that
the F-111 is due to retire.

It's arguably the best replacement in the pure recon role.

Quite possibly.

But the F-111 is due to retire by 2015 and AFAIK they have not even
started
a project to procure Global Hawk yet.

Whilst not specifically a project to procure Global Hawk, Air 7000 is
looking at it -

http://australianit.news.com.au/arti...E15306,00.html

ASYLUM-seekers and illegal fishing vessels are the targets of a likely $150
million investment in the Global Hawk pilotless spy plane.

Global Hawk has been slotted into the Defence Department's Project Air 7000
plan as a partial replacement for the Air Force's AP-3C Orion.
Officially classified as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Global Hawk can
stay airborne for 36 hours, scanning an area the size of Tasmania in 24
hours.

It hit the headlines in 2001 when it flew non-stop between the US and
Australia.

Orions are now used for surveillance along Australia's northern maritime
border.

Project Air 7000 is exploring replacements, including UAVs.

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The AP-3C Orions are due to retire around 2025, you would expect Global Hawk
(or follow ons) to start supplimenting them by around 2015/2020 if they were
to replace them by 2025